Crate for carpets and the like



March 22, 1938. w. T. WILCOX v v CRATE FOR CARPETS AND THE LIKE Filed April 19, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 22, 1938.. w. T. WILCOX ,003

CRATE FOR CARPETS AND THE LIKE Filed April 19; 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 22, 1938 William T. Wilcox, Auburn, N. Y., assignor to The Firth Carpet Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 19, 1937, Serial No. 137,845

40mins. This invention appertains to containers or crates, and more especially'to a crate structure.

for carpets and the like. 7

In the case of certain kinds of carpeting material, it has been customary to roll the carpet fabric into rolls for convenience of handling and to conserve space. i The rolls are quite heavy, and frequently weigh several hundred pounds apiece. It has been customary to crate these 10 rolls at the factory where the carpets are woven, and then ship the same to the carpet dealers, the crates comprising an ordinary box-like structure, into which the rolls of carpet material are :placed. When the crated rolls of carpet are received 'by 15 the dealer, they are ordinarily stored until the carpet material is to be sold, and since each roll of carpet material contains more material than is ordinarily required for a single carpet, it has been the practice to cut oil suitable lengths of. 20 material from the roll as the demand arises. To permit this to be done, it has beennecessary to remove the rolls from their crates accordingfito the previous practices, which, of 'course, ismore or less laborious, and requires special hoisting ap- 25 paratus for handling the crates and rolls, or several men if the crates and rolls are handled man ually. Moreover, if a number of crates'and :rolls are stacked one upon the other, it'may be necessary to removeone or more crates from the top 30 of the stack to afford access to a crate located intermediate the top and bottom of the stack, all of which increases the amountof labor attending the selection of a predetermined roll of "carpet material from which a length of the material is 5 to be cut for sale 'to a customer. i

The present invention has for its primary object the provision of an improved crate structure which is not only suitable for shipping thecarpet rolls, but also for storing the carpets in such 40 manner that the carpet material -is more'accessible than has formerlybeen the case.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved crateor container for carpets, having provision for mounting thecarpet rolls there- 45 in in such manner as to facilitate dispensing of the carpet, so to speak. To this end, the crate provides for the suspension of thetcarpet roll within the same in such manner that the entire roll may be removed from the crate when this is 50 desired, or the roll may be left in the-crate and the carpet material withdrawn from'the crate with ease, so that suitable lengths of the carpet material may be cut off from the roll from time to time, as occasion requires.

55 1 Another object of the invention is to provide an improved crate or container structure of theclass above referred to, which is more or less simple and inexpensive in construction, yet sufii ciently strong and rugged to withstand the strains and stresses to which the same-maybe. 5 subjected in shipping or handling heavy -rollsof carpet material. l v I A still further object of theinvention is to provide a crate structure. which will afford convenient access to the interior thereof when several crates are stacked one upon the other, and without requiring the removal of the particular crate from the stack. In this connection, the in; vention contemplates the provision ofv a removable crate wall which has suitable fastening means removably attaching the same to the body of the crate, and which fastening means are so disposed as to be accessible even though the crate may be disposed at some intermediateposition in a stack of crates.

Still another object of the invention is to pro: vide in a crate of the type hereinbefore referred to, @a small door on one side wall of the crate structure, which maybe conveniently opened to afford an opening in the side of the crate of sufficient size to enable the carpet material-within the crate to be withdrawn therethrough-without necessitating the removal of the entireside wall of the crate, or removal of the entire roll of carpet material from the crate.

It is also an'object of the invention to provide a roller member and mounting means therefor which may be permanently or removably attached to the crate structure, and which roller member facilitates the withdrawal of the carpet 5 material from the roll within the crate and while the roll is retained in the crate.-

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described, and the novel features thereof defined by the ap- 40 pended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating sev eral crates arranged in stacked relation one upon the other, and which crates are constructed in accordance with my invention, the upper and lower crates being shown closed, andthe intermediate crate being'shown with the small door, open, with a portion of the carpet material withdrawn through the opening formed in the sid of the crate by opening the small door; a

Figure 2 is a fragmentary frontelevation of a crate constructed in accordance with my inven*'- tion; a

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal able size and shape.

sectional view, taken through a crate as illustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken transversely through my improved crate structure and having an auxiliary door provided at one side thereof, the door being illustrated in full lines in open position, and in dotted lines in closed position, and further illustrating in dotted lines the manner in which a roll of carpet material is mounted within the crate so as to permit withdrawal of the carpet material through the opening in the side of the crate when the aum'liary door is opened;

Figure 5 is a sectional view, taken approximately on the line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view, taken approximately on the line 66 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a sectional view, generally similar to Figure 6, but illustrating a somewhat modified form of mounting by which rolls or carpet material may be suspended within the crate;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one of the slide blocks, which serves to restrain the roll of carpet material from moving bodily within the crate when mounted therein;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the suspension brackets or bearing members, which serves to mount the carpet roll intermediate the opposite ends of the crate, and with which the slide block of Figure 8 is adapted to cooperate for the purposes stated; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a somewhat modified form of mounting for the roller member which serves to facilitate the withdrawal of the carpet material from the crate, the mounting means for the roller member being engageable with the auxiliary door of the crate, and being of a type which is adapted to be conveniently attached to and removed from the auxiliary door without the aid of any auxiliary fastening means such as shown in Figure 4, in which latter figure, the roller member and its mounting means is more particularly of the permanently attached type.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings,

The crate structure may be constructed from any suitable material, and may have any suit- For the sake of lightness in weight, I prefer to fabricate the crate from side, end, top and bottom units composed of relatively thin material such as cedar wood I, or the like, to the outer faces of which are secured suit- 1 able reinforcing frame members or slats, generally designated 2. These reinforcing members 2 may be arranged in any desired manner to give the side, end, top and bottom walls I sufficient rigidity and strength to withstand the strains and stresses to which the crate will be subjected during handling and shipping. It is to be therefore understood that I do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangement of these parts as illustrated in the drawings, although I have found that the arrangement shown is eminently suited for the purposes intended.

It is important to note that one of the side walls of the crate, which I will call the front wall, and which has been generally designated 3,

preferably extends from the extreme lower edge walls by suitable fastening devices 4, such as wood screws, which are accessible from the side of the crate. By reason of such construction and arrangement of the side wall and fastening devices, as just described, it is possible to remove the entire front side of any of the crates when several crates are stacked one upon the other, as illustrated in Figure 1 by way of example. This is very important from the standpoint of facilitating access to the interior of the crates at any time, and from the further standpoint of eliminating the extra handling of the crates when stacked, as formerly generally required, having in mind that it has not been possible to remove the sides of the crates of the usual construction formerly employed, while the crates are stacked one upon the other.

The front wall 3 is preferably composed of two sections, generally designated 5 and 6, respectively, and which sections are hingedly connected together, as at I, l. The lower main section 5 constitutes the front wall proper, whereas the upper section B constitutes an auxiliary door which is swingable to and from a position completely closing the side of the crate, as best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, wherein the auxiliary door 6 is shown in dotted lines in its closed position, and in full lines in its open position. Certain of the fastenings 4 extend through the upper edge of the auxiliary door 6 and serve to hold the door closed when it is desired to completely close the crate, as for example, during shipment. To open the auxiliary door, it is merely necessary to remove the several screws which are arranged along the upper edge thereof, after which, the door can be swung on its hinges l, l to the open position, as shown in the intermediate crate of Figure 1, and also in Figure 4. The purpose of this auxiliary door 6 will become apparent as the description herein proceeds.

Provision is made for mounting a roll of carpet material within the crate so that the roll is suspended in spaced relation to the walls of the crate. To this end, I provide a pair of brackets, one at each end of the crate, these brackets being generally designated 8. As best seen in Figures 4 and 9, these brackets may be con- "structed of wood of suitable width and thickness to afford the required strength, and they are fastened to the inner faces of the end walls of the crate by suitable fastening devices, such as bolts or screws 9, which pass through the respective brackets and contiguous end walls. The brackets preferably extend the entire depth of the crate from front to back, and are disposed substantially midway between the top and bottom walls of the crate, as will be understood from reference to Figure 4. Each of the two brackets 8 is bifurcated to provide upper and lower arms N] and II, respectively, which constitute guide means and define therebetween a channel l2 which extends from the front end of each bracket to a point about midway of the opposite ends. To reinforce the'brackets 8 and prevent their sagging when weight is imposed thereon, and also to additionally reinforce the end walls of the crate, I provide relatively short blocks l3 and I4 interposed between each bracket and the top and bottom walls of the crate, respectively. These blocks l3 and I4 are secured to the inner faces of the opposite end walls of the crate by suitable fastening devices l5, as will be obvious from Figures 4 and 5.

As previously mentioned, the carpet material is generally wound in rolls, and in Figures 4 and 5, the carpet roll isillustrated -in-broken "lines and has been --generally-designated 1'6, In orde r to enablethe carpet to be suspended within the crate, I wind the same upon a mandrel or core member H, which may be a solid or hollow-*member, whichever is desired. I have found that a suitable length of metal pipe about twoinchesrin diameter is eminently adapted to constitute the core member H, as it is relatively light in weight and sufiiciently rigid to bear the weight of the carpet roll. Itwill be understoodthat the length of the core member H is slightly greater than the width-of the carpet roll so-that the core memher will project slightly beyond the extreme'ends of the carpet roller when the carpet is wound thereon.

Assuming that the front wall 3 ofthe crate has been removed, the carpet roll may be introduced into the crate by entering the ends of the core member I? in the channels [2 of the oppositely disposed brackets 8 arranged at the opposite ends of the crate. The core member i"! is then moved rearwardly in the channels l2 until it reaches'the inner ends N3 of the channels, and when this position is attained, the carpet roll will be disposed wholly within the crate and spaced from the walls of the crate, as will be understood from referenceto Figure 4. After mounting the carpetroll It in the crate as just described, the central core member H is locked in its innermost position in the channels l2 of the brackets 8 to prevent the core 'member and the carpet roll from shifting forwardly in the channels l2. To this end, Iprovide slide blocksgenorally designated I9, which are slidable in the channels H to aposition as seen in Figure 4. These slide blocks fit between the upper and lower arms H) and Hof each of the braoketsS with a free sliding fit, andone end of each of the slide blocks is recessed, asat 28, to form with the ends N3 of the channels 1 2, a circular bearing in which the core member I! may freely rotate. The end of each of the slideblocks 19 opposite to the recess 21] is flat as at 21, and lies flush with the forward edge-of the contiguous end wall of the crate, sothatwhen the frontwall Iiis applied and secured to the crate after the carpet roll has been mounted in the crate, the front wall will prevent 'the slide blocks '20 from shifting longitudinally in the slots l2 of the brackets 8.

Each of the slide blocks "lfi has attached thereto a relatively thin plate 22, which is adapted to be interposed between its associated bracket8 and the contiguous end wall of the crate. This plate 22 serves to prevent the slide block '29 from becoming displaced laterallyfromits chan- V nel l2 after the s'lidebloek has been slid into the channel !2 to block the core member H in its mounted position in the brackets 8. In order to permit the slide blocks i9 "tobe slid into the channels l2, with the plates :22 interposed between the brackets 8' and the contiguous end walls of the crate, "there must be provided sufiicient clearance between thebrackets 8 and the crate end walls. To this end,the inner faces of the brackets s may be cut away, as at 23, from a point at the rearof the rear end of the channels l2 to the forward ends of the brackets, as best seen in Figures6 and of th'e drawings, particularly Figure 9. The material of the brackets is cut away, as just described, to 'a depthslightly greater than the thickness of the plates 22, thus enabling the plates 22 to freely slide in between their contiguous bracket 8 and the 'end wall of the crate so as to occupy a position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, or .in section in Figure 6.

As an alternative arrangement of the brackets 8 to afiord clearance for the plates 22 intermediate the brackets and the endwalls of the crate, the construction as illustrated in Figure 7 may be availed of. According to this construction, the brackets 8 are uniform in thickness from end to end, and washers or suitable spacer means .24 are interposed between the forward ends of the brackets and the contiguous end walls of the crate. Obviously, the thickness of the spacer means 24 must be sufiiciently great to afford a clearance between the brackets 8 and the end walls of the crate, at the center of the brackets, which is at least as great as, and,pref erably slightly greater than, the thickness of the plates 22. In other words, the thickness of the spacer means 2% should be considerably greater than the thickness of the plates 22 in order to afiord the necessary amount of clearance at the extreme inner ends of the plates.

By reason of the provision of the auxiliary door 6, access to the interior of the crate is afiorded without removing the entire side wall 3. Assuming that a roll of carpet material it has been mounted in the crate as illustrated in Figure 4;, and it is desired to cut ofi a length of the carpet material from theroll, this can be readily accomplished without removing the roll of carpet from the crate, by opening the door 6 and reaching in through the opening between the hinged edge of the door and the upper edge of the crate, and grasping the edge of the carpet and drawing the same through the opening, as illustrated in broken lines in Figure 4, and in full lines in Figure 1. By reason of the suspension of the carpet roll It within the crate so that the weight of the carpet does not rest upon any of the walls of the crate, the roll, including the central core H, is free to turn inthe bearings formed by the brackets B and cooperating slide blocks it. This would be virtually impossible if the carpet .roll were not so suspended in spaced relation to the walls of the crate, becauseof the great Weight of the carpet roll, which, as previously mentioned, not infrequently weighs as much as four or five hundred pounds, depending upon the width of the carpet material and the length of the material which is wound 'upon the roll.

To further insure free withdrawal of the carpet from. the crate while'the roll is retained in its suspended position within the crate, and to pre vent possible damage to the carpet material which would very likely occur if the carpet were dragged over the upper edge of the main wallsection 5 of the side wall 3 and the hinged edge of the door 6, I preferably provide a roller member 25 which extends across the side of the crate, and over which the carpet material may be drawn, as will best be understood from reference toeFigures 1 and 4. This roller member 25 is; preferably mounted onthe door 6 so that when the door is opened, as shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 4, the upper surface of the roller will be disposed above the hinged edge of the door, and con.- sequently above theupperedge of'th-e'main wall sectionldo-f the wall 3. As illustrated in Figures 1 and the roller is rotatablymounted at its op posite ends in brackets 28 which may be permanently or removably secured to the door 5, as by screws 21. Such an arrangementas illustrated in Figured, for example, contemplates'the provision of-each crate .wi'th a roller me'mber fi d'and when the crate is closed up for shipment of a roll of carpet material, or for storage purposes, under which conditions the door 6 would be closed, the roller 25 will be normally disposed out of sight and in an out-of-the-way position within the crate, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, and also in dotted lines in certain of the crates illustrated in Figure 1. By simply removing the fastening means 1 at the upper edge of the door 6, and swinging the door 6 to its open position, the roller 25 is automatically positioned for use in drawing the carpet material outwardly through the open doorway and over the roller.

In Figure 10, I have shown a modified form of mounting for the roller 25 which is more particularly adapted for quick attachment of the roller 25 to the crate, and quick removal of the roller therefrom. To this end, the brackets 26, in which the roller 25 is adapted tobe mounted, are formed so as to provide a generally U-shaped hanger member 26" which is adapted to be slipped over and about the hinged edge of the door 6 as shown in Figure 10. It will be understood that the brackets 26 and associated hangers 26" engage the door 6 near the respective opposite ends of the door. When this modified form of roller mounting is used, it is not necessary to provide a separate roller for each crate, since one or several rollers may be interchangeably used with various crates, as will be obvious. Of course, the same applies to the type of roller mounting illustrated in Figure 4, inasmuch as it is merely necessary to remove the screws 21 in this construction, to remove the roller 25 from the crate, after which, it can be applied to another crate by fastening the brackets 26 to the door of the other crate or crates by means of the screws 21, as occasionv requires. However, the interchangeability of the rollers and mountings according to the Figure 4 construction is not quite so effective and practical as in the case of the construction according to Figure 10.

The roller 25 and brackets 26 of Figure 10 are preferably removed from the door 6 when it is desired to close the door. However, such removal is not absolutely necessary in every case if sufficient clearances are afforded to permit the hangers 26" to remain in their embraced relation about the door as the door is fully closed. For example, this clearance can be attained by reducing the height of the door 6 slightly to leave a small space between the hinged edge of the door and the upper edge of the main wall section 5 of the side wall 3. On the other hand, the door itself may be provided with suitable recesses 28 in their hinged edges in which the transverse portions 26" of the hangers 26" may be seated so as to lie flush with or slightly below the hinged edge of the door. Such an arrangement as last mentioned permits a close fit of the door with respect to the upper edge of the section 5 of the side wall 3, thereby completely sealing the crate when the door 6 is closed and preventing the entrance of dust, dirt, etc., which would be likely to damage the carpet material.

Summarizing the construction and use of my improved crate and assuming that the crate has been assembled in the manner illustrated in the drawings and as previously described, the entire side wall 3, including the auxiliary door 6 is removed by removing the fastenings 4 which are accessible from the side of the crate, thereby affording access to the interior of the crate to permit a roll of carpet material to be placed therein for shipment or storage purposes. To condition the crate for introduction of the roll of carpet material, which roll, as previously described, is wound upon a pole or central core member I I, the slide blocks [9, carried by the plates 22, are slid forwardly so as to permit their disengagement from the brackets 8, thereby clearing the channels l2 in the brackets 8 to permit the introduction of the projecting ends of the central core member I! into the open ends of the channels. When the ends of the core member I! have been entered in the channels I2, the core member and the roll of carpet material thereon are moved inwardly of the crate, until the ends of the core member abut against the closed ends l8 of the channels l2 in the brackets 8, during which movement, the ends of the core member move inwardly within the channels l2 with a free sliding movement. When the core member I! and carpet roll l6 have been thus positioned within the crate and which position maintains the carpet material out of contact with the walls of the crate, the slide blocks l9 and attached plates 22 may then be slid in behind the core member I! so as to prevent the core member from shifting longitudinally in the slots l2 of the brackets. In mounting the slide blocks I 9 in position to block the channels I2, the plates 22 are entered at the front of the crate into the respective spaces intermediate the brackets 6 and the end walls of the crate, with the recessed ends 20 of the slide blocks l9 facing the core member I1, whereupon the plates 22 and slide blocks I9 are slid rearwardly to the position as best illustrated in Figure 4. The removable side wall 3 of the crate may then be applied and secured to the crate by means of the removable fastenings or screws 4 which are located at spaced intervals about the margins of the crate and extend through the side wall 3 into the contiguous edges of the other walls which side wall 3 abuts in overlapped relation. When this wall 3 has been secured in position, it abuts against the fiat ends 2| of the slide blocks [9, thereby maintaining the slide blocks in position in the channels l2 so as to prevent the core member and carpet roll from shifting in the crate. The crated carpet roll is now ready for shipment or storage, in either of which cases, several crates may be stacked one upon the other as illustrated in Figure 1 without interfering with the accessibility of the fastening devices 4, or with opening and closing movement of the auxiliary doors 6.

Assuming that several crated rolls of carpet t.

material have been stored in stacks, and it is desired to remove one of the complete rolls Hi from its crate; then, after selecting the particular crate which contains the desired carpet material, it is merely necessary to remove the fastening devices 4 which permits the removal of the entire wall 3 of the selected crate. The slide blocks I9 may then be withdrawn from the channels 12 of the brackets 8, following which the entire roll of carpet material, and the core member I! upon which it is wound may be removed from the crate, as will be obvious. After removal of the carpet roll, another roll may be put into the crate for storage purposes, and the side wall 3 replaced, if desired or if no further use is to be made of the crate after the carpet roll has been removed or completely used up, the crate may be discarded or shipped back to the factory for use in subsequent shipments. By reason of its simplicity, the cost of my improved crate is quite nominal so that it may be discarded completely at any time without suffering any material loss. i

Instead of removing the entire carpet roll from the crate when the carpet material is placed on sale, the carpet roll may be left in the crate and dispensed from time to time directly from the crate. In such a case as where it is desired to cut off a length of carpet material from the roll, it is merely necessary to remove the fastening members 4 which extend through the auxiliary door 6 and swing the door 6 of the selected crate to its open position as illustrated in the intermediate crate of Figure 1, and also in Figure 4. The carpet material may then be drawn through the open doorway and the required length cut off, after which the newly cut end of the roll may be pushed back through the doorway into the crate, and the door 6 closed again until the next sale is made. By reason of the fact that the carpet roll is suspended within the crate in spaced relation to the walls thereof, the withdrawal of the carpet through the doorway may be accomplished with very little effort. Moreover, the use of a roller as illustrated in the drawings further facilitates the withdrawal of the carpet material from the roll while the roll is retained in the crate, and minimizes the likelihood of damage to the carpet during the withdrawal of the same through the doorway. As previously mentioned, the roller 25 may constitute a permanent part of each crate, or it may have the form of an auxiliary interchangeable attachment for one or more crates.

In lieu of the small auxiliary door 6, the front wall 3 may have a form similar to the top, bottom or rear walls, in which case, it preferably would be hingedly connected at one edge with the crate body to allow a limited swinging movement of the same as a whole away from the crate body so as to provide an opening of sufiicient size to enable the carpet fabric to be with drawn therethrough in a manner as provided by the auxiliary door 6. Movement of the wall to an inclined position approximately fifteen degrees from the vertical would ordinarily be sufficient to allow the carpet to be withdrawn from the crate while the roll is retained in the crate, and this inclined position of the wall can. be maintained by a pivotal link or arm at one or both ends of the wall, having interengagement with the body of the crate so as to hold the wall in its open position.

While the details have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto, as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-- 1. A crate of the class: described, comprising a plurality of walls interconnected together to form a box-like structure, one of said walls being composed of a plurality of sections hingedly connected together, one of which sections constitutes an auxiliary door movable to and from a position across the side of the crate at the upper edge thereof, means rotatably suspending a. roll of carpet fabricor the like within the crate sothat the fabric may be freely withdrawn from the crate when the auxiliary door is moved to its open position and while the roll is retained in the crate, and roller means mounted on the crate adjacent to the doorway formed in the side of the crate when the auxiliary door is opened, and over which the fabric is adapted to be drawn in withdrawing the same from the roll within the crate.

2. A cratev of the class described, comprising a plurality of walls interconnected together to form a box-like structure, one of said walls'being composed of a plurality of sections hingedly connected together, one of which sections constitutes an auxiliary door movable to and from a position across'the side of the crate at the upper edge thereof, means rotatably suspending a roll of carpet fabric or the like within the crate so that the fabric may be freely withdrawn from the crate when the auxiliary door is moved to its open position and while the roll is retained in the crate, and roller means mounted on the crate adjacent to the doorway formed in the side of the crate when the auxiliary door is opened, and over which the fabric is adapted to be drawn in withdrawing the same fro-m the roll within the crate, said roller means being adapted to be secured to the auxiliary door and movable therewith so as to be normally disposed within the crate when the door is closed, and automatically disposed in operative position respecting the doorway when the door is opened. 3. A crate of the class described, comprising a plurality of walls interconnected together to forma box-like structure, one of said walls being composed of a plurality of sections hingedly connected together, one of which sections constitutes an auxiliary door movable to and from a position across the side of the crate at the upper edge thereof, means rotatably suspending a roll of carpet fabric or the like within the crate so that the fabric may be freely withdrawn from the crate when the auxiliary door is moved to its open position and while the roll is retained in the crate, and roller means mounted on the crate adjacent to the doorway formed in the side of the crate when the auxiliary door is opened, and over which the fabric is adapted to be drawn in withdrawing the same from the roll within the crate, said roller means being: detachably secured to the auxiliary door.

4. A crate of the class described, comprising a plurality of walls interconnected together to form a box-like structure, one of said walls being composed of a plurality of sections hingedly connected together, one of which sections constitutes an auxiliary door movable to and from a position across the side of the crate at the upper edge thereof, means rotatably suspending a roll of carpet fabric or the like within the crate so that the fabric may be freely withdrawn from the crate when the auxiliary door is moved to its open position and while the roll is retained in the crate, and guide means for guiding the fabric through the doorway formed in the side of the crate when the auxiliary door is opened, said guide means being shiftable from an inoperative position within the crate to its operative fabric guiding position responsive to movement of the auxiliary door from closed to open position.

WILLIAM T. WILCOX. 

